Bradley Cooper’s wild interview with Leonard Bernstein’s children raises eyebrows

The 49-year-old actor directed and starred as the late composer in the 2023 biopic, Maestro

Bradley Cooper has been mocked by fans following an interview in which he became visibly emotional over how much he “misses” Leonard Bernstein – despite never having met him.

The actor and director stars as American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in the 2023 biopic, Maestro.

Described as “a love letter to life and art”, Maestro depicts the decades-long relationship between Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan).

The interview with Leonard Bernstein’s children, Jamie, Nina and Alexander has raised eyebrows after a clip went viral on social media.

The original interview aired on CBS in November last year, but has gone viral after Cooper’s comments resurfaced.

When asked if he misses his on-screen alter-ego (Bernstein), Cooper becomes visibly upset, and replies “Oh yeah, man.”

“It’s hard to talk about,” he tells the Bernstein children. “I don’t know, we, the four of us [Cooper and Bernstein’s three children], shared something very special, it’s hard to even articulate.”

The interview clip cuts between Cooper and Bernstein’s children, who watch the actor tear up while talking about their late father.

“He was with me, certainly, throughout the entire time. His energy has somehow found its way to me, and I really do feel like I know him,” Bradley added.

Bradley Cooper in ‘Maestro’ (Jason McDonald/Netflix)

Bradley has never met Leonard Bernstein, who died in 1990, aged 72. This has caused fans to respond with confusion over his emotional reaction to the questions.

“That’s actually an insane thing to say,” a TikTok user wrote.

“Doing that in front of his kids is CRAZY,” another user said.

“If we give him an Oscar will he stop doing this kind of thing?” one comment asked.

Cooper has previously revealed he directed the biopic in the late conductor’s voice after being inspired by Christian Bale’s method in 2013’s American Hustle.

The movie also sparked controversy before its release as Cooper was criticised wearing a prosthetic nose “to amplify his resemblance” to Bernstein.

“But it’s all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn’t look right [without the prosthetic],” he said in response to the criticism.

The film has been met with critical acclaim. It has received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), and Best Actress (Mulligan), as well as nominations for seven BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards.

“Cooper’s Bernstein film is nicely affectionate – fake nose and all,” The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab wrote in his four-star review. “Cooper is effortlessly charming in a film that’s been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and his co-star Carey Mulligan is magnificent.”